A Christmas card

I saw this image on Katys Bloggeroo earlier last week and just loved the image so I took myself off to Mos Digital pencil and made a few purchases - I think you may see more of Mos work here over the next few weeks LOL.
I knew I had the perfect stamp to accompany this image and had also I had bought a set of basic grey wassail from last year in 12 x 12 so thats where I began.

Ive added a paperartsy stamp which has all the things I just love love love about Christmas on it! Thats been stamped in fired brick distress ink. The edges have all been coloured using this too.

Image is coloured using promarkers - I love the richness of the colours Ruby and Marsh green so was pleased they went well with the papers.

Ive added the bow and large bell so the card really does Jingle!
Loved making this and have come over all Christmassy - maybe knowing that today is the last Bank Holiday before Christmas arrives has set me off or maybe its the colours and the image in the card - anyway Ive done 3 more similar to this so am on my way with the Christmas card list!

Hope the sun is shining where you are today xx
Janet

A new card after a lesson on colouring

It was the fabulous Katy's card class on Monday and she gave us a little lesson on colouring. Katy now uses copics whereas I have promarkers so I was grateful for the hints and tips she provided. She gave me this fab image from Mos digital pencil shop and having visited there I'm glad today is payday so i can go a little mad and purchase some of the digi stamps.
These papers are old ones - double sided so they work well either side. Cant remember the collection name but they are I think at least 2 years old!
Although the colouring is still not up to Katy's I am quite pleased with the outcome. Ive gently smudged the edges with raspberry adirondack ink and added ribbon from my stash. The doily lace edge punch from Martha Stewart and card candy from craftwork cards finish the look. This should have reached its destination now as part of a Rak swap.

Ive got more cards to make today so am going to have a play with my prisma pencils and see if i can transfer any of the tips Katy gave me!
Have a fab day xx

Tuesday Taggers - decorate a bottle or jar

Well you all did such a fabulous job with the Retro theme - loved them all! This week we are trying something different and want you to decorate and fill a bottle or Jar.

Ive used a Grolsch bottle filled with this recipe for basil herb oil found here
Recipe Zaar


The bottle seemed perfect with its special sealed lid to hold the oil and keep it fresh for use on salads or as a bread drizzling/ dipping oil.

I have used My Minds Eye papers to decorate and added a die cut flower and leaves. The label is computer generated and the little tag has the recipe and use by date on it. I think these would be perfect as a small gift for someone who liked their food.

Do check out my other team mates work over on Tuesday Taggers Its absolutely stunning with some fantastic ideas.

This is also a week sponsored by The Craft Barn - check out their fabulous range of products- and dont forget to include a link to their shop in your entry write up to be in with a prize.

Have fun Taggers!

A new LO

This Layout has pictures taken 30 years apart. The first picture is my sister Heather - I think shes about 10 months old and it was taken in 1974. My Dad was into photography and he shot this pic - as he died in 1993 his slide collection suddenly became quite precious and this was one of the pictures we found amongst his slides.


The colour photograph my SIL took of my gorgeous Nephew Matthew in 2004 I think hes a little younger than Heather was but the picture is remarkably similar even to the expression on their faces.
The papers are by Basic Grey. The letters are also a Basic Grey I think - I just drew around chipboard letters then inked the edges. Not sure about the arrow stamp i bought it from ebay earlier in the year. Of course the flower stamp is by Blonde Moments - I have stamped with black perfect medium, used clear embossing powder all onto navy card then painted the flower with blonde moments pearl pigments.
Ive also done 2 lots of stitching on the page - template from basil basics. I do love the texture that stitching gives to LO.



I did this at craft club last night. It started off based on a sketch but has ended up not like it at all. Really enjoyed doing a LO again but then at the end of the session went into a vertigo attack and my poor pals ended up looking after me as i became unsteady and very sick on the way home. Sorry Bee xx and huge thanks to Michelle and Debs for looking after me sooo well.
Thats 2 in 2 days - Not nice and I hope its not going to be a pattern. Im back at work tomorrow and do not need to complicate things with having a vertigo attack there.
Hope your day has been good and thanks for looking xx
Janet

Tuesday Taggers - Retro!

Well this weeks theme was chosen by my fabby team mate Emma! Trouble was its given me a headache - could not think of any of my stamps to give a retro feel so have ended up with a Kanban special! Well the warehouse is quite near me and i do love their card - its brilliant quailty - I just dont normally make this sort of card - I love my stamps tooo much.
Anyway This is for Darren at work - we were both young teenagers in the grease/ saturday night fever era and have reminised often when one of the young people who likes Grease has insisted we watch it - again!
The only bit of imagination on the card is I have added a piece of acetate and suspended the disco ball from it - I have glittered the disco ball for added disco glamour. This is the reverse side of the ball which can be seen as the ball twirls around.

Now once id made this card I looked at what my team mates had done with envy - why didnt i think of some of those ideas?
Hop on over to Tuesday Taggers for some retro inspiration!

birthdays at work

Got a couple of birthdays coming up at work so made a couple of cards. For ease and quickness they are almost the same. Bought these papers from my minds eye and just love them! I know they have been out some while but now ive found them I dont think I will leave them alone! They are Lush!


Stamped image is by Alota as my Pal Katy says its perfect for paper piecing hmmmm not sure aboiut that one as it took AGES! But I do like the results. Flowers by papermania buttons and ribbons from stash.
Have also managed a few atcs this weekend - Think im cramming before Im back at work again on Monday.

Hope your weekend has been fun :0)

Just a reminder

That many of my ebay auctions end today - some brilliant bargains to be had - hop on over for a look- just click the ebay icon.

Look at my girl

All grown up on a 17 hand horse called Dan!
She has loved the pony week this week and made loads of new friends. Tim and I went to watch the end of week show today and are so proud of her xx

and these little cuties have been living in his stable! Young swallows.

My day ended by going out with someone I was best mates with at school. I havent seen her for 21 years - far too long! Lots of catching up to be done xx
Hope your day has been good xx

Have listed more today so check them out if interested

Janet

Been having a clear out

So have listed some wooden rubber stamps on ebay if anyone is interested. the link is on my side bar.
Janet

Must show you this brilliant pressie

Just a quickie before the chinese arrives - look what my crafty pal Barbara and daughter Debs made me for my birthday. An atc cake.
Its fabulous and I am so touched that they have spent so much time and thought on this brilliant pressie when they are not atc people themselves. The pictures really dont do it justice it is truely a work of art xx Many thanks Bee and Dee xx

Happy Birthday to Me :0) and Tuesday Taggers

My turn to choose the theme as today is my birthday - unless you didnt already know LOL. Ive found I enjoy my birthdays so much more than I used to in fact since I turned 40 they have been fabulous! I usually try to spend the day at Dyan Reaveleys studio doing a class but this year I am doing a whole weekend at the end of September at a mini Ranger university. I cant tell you how much I am looking forward to that!
Anyway enough about me onto to Tuesday Taggers. Well I have to confess I chose this theme as a bit tongue in cheek. My craft pals (especially Michelle)tease me that the subject always turns around to the other meaning for the birds and the bees whenever Im around so I chose the theme for a giggle. However hop over to Tuesday Taggers and see the standard of work my DT buddies have produced - Wow!


Well onto mine. Not entirely happy with this I must confess - its my first attempt at Beeswax collage. I think it would have been better if I had used white wax not the natural coloured wax but hey ho here it is.
Its a mountboard ATC covered in some basic grey ambrosia paper then hot wax painted on. I have stamped the bird image (Tim Holtz) onto tissue paper then waxed it on top. the word art has been stamped and adhered in the same way. Once cool added 2 red eyelets and a bit of gold ribbon. The edges have been finished with Krylon pen.
I have really enjoyed playing with the beeswax though (thanks for letting me have some Michelle) so think I will invest in some white wax to play more with. So watch this space!

If you fancy entering the challenge this week I am donating the prize - not sure what it is yet as Im going shopping today so will see what takes my fancy!

Hop on over to Tuesday Taggers and check out the challenge

Away for the weekend

Setting off later today to Derbyshire to stay with Tims Sis Linda and her hubby Stuart. We always have a nice time there - they have the most gorgeous cottage and gardens so different from our little terrace house.
Meghan and Linda are going shopping tomorrow for girly stuff whilst I hop over to Loughborough (well more get chauffered there lol)for the 3rd Luffy atc meet. Am really looking forward to meeting up with fellow Tuesday Taggers teamies Emma and Bee as well as fabby docrafters Mandy, Bobs and Compass rose.
Am mostly packed just a spot of ironing to do but Im feeling excited about it. Am on count down to my birthday on Tuesday - meeting up with crafty chums for breakfast at the local Weatherspoons before being whisked away for crafty retail therapy.

I know its Jills birthday this weekend from The Stampman - Happy Birthday Jill and also Katys on Monday -Happy birthday Katy. Hopefully you will both receive my birthday greetings in time xxx
Have a brilliant weekend everyone x
Janet

More atc

My fellow teamie over on Tuesday Taggers made a fab plant pot card using a project from splitcoast stampers. See it here

Well ive been playing this morning at making it atc size as Im in atc mode at the moment and this is the prototype.
Was quite easy with the stampin up punches the flowers may stand a little proud of the 3 and a half lengthways limit but i dont think it really matters with this. im pleased with it and off to make more :0)

Tuesday taggers - Flowers

Some Awesome entries for the wall hangings from last week - great to see what other crafters come up with given the same title.

This weeks theme is chosen by the gorgeous Jo. I used to craft with Jo weekly before her move to Aus last summer. She was the first person to contact me re the craft club so our love of scrapbooking brought us together. I do miss her lots. It was fab that she agreed to become part of the TT team as it means we can craft together and keep in touch through the blog. Check out her blog here Shes an ace crafter with some fabby ideas and now has access to stash we cant get here!

Anyway heres my entry.


These flowers are from the Peeking posies set by Hero arts. I love this set - it was a present from my bessie for my birthday last year. I have used adirondack ink to colour the flowers then added micro beads for the centre and stamen. Mounted on to black atc sized card I have added ribbon (from stampman)and a buckle as well as a stampin up hostess sentiment stamp (from here).

I have made a series of 12 atcs following this theme in different colours for an atc meet I am going to on Saturday at Loughborough. Hoping to meet up with fabby docrafters and spend the day laughing, swapping with maybe a small amount of crafting too! I need at least 20 so still need to do more this week but as I am not at work until the 17th (yay)I should have time!
Have a fab day whatever you are doing xx Janet

A brilliant day

Had a fabulous day today with my fav crafty peeps. Michelle hosted a present making day - encouraging us to make high quality presents at reasonable prices!
The first picture is of an Egyptian Goddess kit which has Jasmine and Gold bath oil, milk and Jasmine bath salts and honey and milk hand milled soap. As well as mixing all the ingredients by hand we then went onto use our papercrafting skills to decorate them. Both Michelle and I had bought some fab stamps from The Stampman and Michelle had also found some fab papers at the Kanban outlet in Shipley. The first kit I have made for my pal Pat who I am seeing tomorrow. I had bought Pat a gardeners handcare kit however the soap had leaked all over it ruining the tin and other bits so it was not a kit any more! This is much nicer I think and I hope she will feel like a Goddess when she has a bath with them.



The Mens kit smells divine - combining Frankincense and Myrrh with Grapefruit oil it has a most gorgeous aroma and sounds so expensive. what a fabulous thing for any chap - this kit has a shaving oil and a spritzer for after shaving. The lovely brown bottles and labels give a real old apothecary feel to the whole gift. Although the oil is good for use to shave ladies legs too - so I may be using it all myself!

I have had a fabulous day - the room was filled with the aroma of different essential oils and as always the company was perfect. Huge thanks to Michelle for a brilliant day xx
Hope your day was good too!